Is 802.11g really any faster than 802.11b?

I know that theoretically 802.11g routers, access points, and adapters move data faster than 802.11b ones, but what is the reality of the situation? If I am hooked up to a cable modem, which I believe does not come close to maxing out the speed of my 802.11b gear, what would 802.11g gear get me? If I have other computers wirelessly sharing the internet connection and passing files back and forth, would anything really, in practice, run any faster? Does the 802.11b gear that says it runs at double the speed, 22mbs, really in fact run twice as fast, if the input, e.g. cable modem, is the same?

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If you're just using the network for internet access, you'll see no benefit from using 22MB equipment over 11MB. The bottleneck is still the 512K internet connection.

If you use the network to transfer large files between machines, then the higher speed equipment the better.

mJeepCommented: 2003-12-10

For Internet Connections, 802.11b versus 11g will not make a difference. For file transfers, the difference is extremely noticeable. If you do any gaming on your local network, I would consider the 802.11g a requirement. The only noticeable improvement will be on your local network not your Internet connection. As for the 22mbs, I would spend the extra bucks and just get the 802.11g equipment. It's not that much more expensive and you will have the fastest wireless connection available if you ever need it. I upgraded months ago and have never been happier.

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